Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 24 May 2016

1. North Yorkshire fracking approved

For the first time since a ban on fracking was lifted in 2012, a request to go ahead with extracting shale gas using the unpopular technique has been given planning permission. North Yorkshire County Council has said Third Energy can start drilling at a site near Kirby Misperton, in Ryedale. Opponents say the method contaminates water.

What are the pros and cons of fracking?

2. MoD could face lawsuits over malaria drug

The Ministry of Defence could face civil suits over its use of the drug Lariam, which is prescribed to some service personnel as an anti-malarial medication. The defence select committee is concerned the drug has serious side-effects, including depression, and says it should be issued as a last resort and with restrictions.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Lariam: MoD under fire over anti-malaria drug

3. Birmingham children's services to be run by a trust

The children's services department of Birmingham City Council is to be run by a trust after it was branded a "national disgrace" by inspectors. Ofsted has rated the service "inadequate" since 2009. It will now be handed over to a voluntary trust, although the local authority wants to retain control over the design and delivery of services.

4. Campaigners call for dog fight crackdown

The League Against Cruel Sports has called for a crackdown on dog fighting, saying it is prevalent among young people in Britain's cities who own dogs as status symbols. It wants a specific offence introduced with a minimum three-year custodial sentence. Dog fighting is banned only under wider laws.

5. Trump takes poll lead over Clinton

Property developer Donald Trump has taken a poll lead over Hillary Clinton, who seems set to be the Democratic candidate in this year's US presidential election. Trump, the "presumptive candidate" for the Republicans, scored 0.2 points more than the former secretary of state in an average of national surveys putting the two head-to-head.

6. Angelina Jolie to teach gender and human rights

Angelina Jolie is to teach students studying for a masters in gender and human rights at the London School of Economics. The course will be run by the Centre for Women, Peace and Security, launched by the Oscar-winning actress and Lord William Hague last year. The pair also joined forces to found the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative in 2012.

Angelina Jolie to teach at the London School of Economics

7. Cameron buys used car 'for his wife'

A used car salesman in Oxfordshire thought he was being teased by his friends when he received a call saying the Prime Minister was interested in a £1,500 Nissan Micra. Iain Harris, of Minster Lovell, said it was "surreal" when David Cameron turned up and bought the car, which he said was for his wife, Samantha.

8. Andy Murray survives French Open scare

Andy Murray has survived a scare against Radek Stepanek in the first round of the French Open, beating the 37-year-old in five sets. The British number one trailed two sets to one on Monday night but battled back today to win 3-6, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2, 7-5. He became the third British male into the second round, joining Aljaz Bedene and Kyle Edmund.

9. Actor Burt Kwouk dies at the age of 85

Burt Kwouk, best known for playing Inspector Clouseau's assistant Cato in the Pink Panther films, has died at the age of 85. He starred with Peter Sellers in four Panther films, as well as later productions, and featured in three James Bond films. He was also a regular on TV and appeared in Last of the Summer Wine from 2002 to 2010.

10. Briefing: Is fat really a friend in the fight against obesity?

Health professionals have hit out at a report suggesting that eating more fat could help tackle the UK's obesity crisis. "Eating fat does not make you fat," says a joint report by the National Obesity Forum and the Public Health Collaboration. They say the vilification of fat and the promotion of low-fat food has had "disastrous" health consequences. "For years we have been told that we should cut down on the amount of fat we eat," says Sky News. "Now it seems the story is changing."

Is fat really a friend in the fight against obesity?